Age range. 8–13.
Number in school. 208 pupils: 106 boys; 102 girls; 22 boarders.
Fees per term (2024-2025). Day: £7,220-£7,850. Boarding: £10,580; Half-boarding (3 nights): £9,420; Flexi-boarding available (£59 per night).
Established in 1902 to join with Bedales Senior School, Bedales Prep takes root in the shared conviction that education is about ‘head, hand and heart’. The School’s progressive ethos sets to empower its students through opportunity and experience, and the unique approach to learning helps children to become creative thinkers with a lifelong love of learning. As the second stage in the Bedales journey, students at Bedales Prep are encouraged to explore their ambitions, aiming as high as they can while simultaneously enjoying their childhood and the accompanying natural learning processes that accompany. The curriculum is unique and rigorous, offering a breadth of teaching beyond what is standard for a prep school. Unbound by the Common Entrance syllabus, teachers can pursue topics in depth to allow a holistic and rounded education, applyingrelevant teaching to the real world. Students engage with a large scope of subjects at Bedales Prep, with many opportunities for STEM, Arts, Humanities and Sport. The School follows the principle of ‘learning by doing’; this approach to education nurtures children in a creative learning and teaching environment, which promotes personal growth and confidence through challenge and problem-solving. While underpinning the curriculum with quality and rigour, the School maintains as much freedom from the pressures of testing and exam results as possible.
Matches against other schools take place regularly in athletics, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rounders, rugby, swimming and tennis. A wide range of other sports and outdoor activities is also offered, including squash, karate and fencing. Bedales Prep makes full use of the first-rate facilities at Bedales, which include a theatre, sports hall, floodlit netball and tennis courts, an all-weather pitch and indoor swimming pool. This, and the common Bedales ethos, make for an easy transition for students moving from the Prepto the Senior School at the age of 13.
A unique and indispensable element of life at Bedales is the contribution to Outdoor Work for the Prep students, harmonious with Bedales Pre-prep and Senior schools. The children are actively involved in the growing and harvesting of vegetables, livestock management and the process of constructing shelters with natural materials. In Blocks 1 and 2 (Years 7 and 8) children employ these skills to give back to the community through the community service programme. This may include building outdoor learning areas for a local school or redesigning the garden at a GP surgery. The programme encourages students to help others and evaluate their position in the wider world. Cultivating an environment where learners are inquisitive and independent, students have timetabled ‘Greens’. Flexible periods in which the children manage their time and work, these sessions can be dedicated to a series of co-curricular endeavours. Time may be spent completing prep, undertaking further academic studies, engaging in instrumental lessons or participating in sports. The number of Greens timetabled increases as students progress through Bedales Prep, building upon the individual management skills that will prepare them for Bedales Senior and life beyond.
Bedales Prep takes pride in its strong pastoral system, which nurtures children to recognise their own worth, collaborate with others and feel supported within the Bedales community. Timetabled Wellbeing lessons provide the foundation for children to lead confident, happy and resilient lives, recognising the importance of supportive relationships and making informed decisions. In alignment with Bedales’ founding beliefs, mutual respect is the cornerstone of teaching and learning at Bedales Prep. Students are encouraged to use their voices to positively shape their own experiences, with a dedicated School Council comprising representatives from all age groups.
Boarding is an inclusive and cherished aspect of life at Bedales Prep. For children aged 8 to 13, the provision of full, half and flexi boarding options offers academic, social and pastoral benefits and recognises the need for flexibility in families’ lives. The newly refurbished co-educational boarding house was designed in collaboration with staff and boarders and is a safe and nurturing environment for students to live. The boys occupy the top floor, and the girls the lower, with communal spaces available for all to ensure boarders can socialise together in a welcoming and homely setting, irrespective of gender.
Applicants for both boarding and day places sit residential entrance tests. The main points of entry are at 8+ and 11+. Entry at other ages is dependent on the availability of places.
For information about Bedales Pre-prep (3–8 years), see the Bedales entry in HMC section. Charitable status. Bedales School is a Registered Charity, number 307332. It exists to provide a sound education and training for children and young persons of both sexes.